A leading member of the Czech New Wave, a close friend and collaborator of Miloš Forman, and a lifelong fan of football club SK Slavia Prague, died on Saturday, March 28, 2015 at 80-year-old.

Miroslav Ondříček studied at Film Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (FAMU) and started his carrier at Barrandov Studios in the 1950s, where he also met Miloš Forman. Throughout his long career, which spanned over almost 50 years, he worked on over 40 films alongside such influential directors as Ivan Passer, Miloš Forman, Lindsay Anderson, George Roy Hill and Penny Marshall.

The very long list of his works includes pieces such as Loves of a Blonde (Lásky jedné plavovlásky, 1965), The Firemen’s Ball (Hoří má panenko, 1967), The White Bus (Bílý autobus, 1967), Taking Off (Odcházím, 1971), Slaughterhouse – Five (Jatka č. 5, 1972), Hair (Vlasy, 1979), Ragtime (Ragtime, 1981), The World According to Garp (Svět podle Garpa, 1982), Silkwood (Silkwoodová, 1983), Awakenings (Čas probuzení, 1990) or the Academy Award winning Amadeus (Amadeus, 1984).

His work was awarded by various achievements, including the Academy Award nomination for Ragtime (1981) and Amadeus (1984), winning the Best Cinematography at BAFTA Film Awards (1984), the International Achievement Award by the American Society of Cinematographers (2004), the Crystal Globe for Outstanding Contribution to World Cinema at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (2004) and the Medal of Merit of the First Grade (2006).

Even though Miroslav Ondříček’s passing symbolizes a great loss to world of cinema, he will be always remembered thanks to his brilliant work.